The Real Reason EliteXC Numbers were down 43%

The results are in for EliteXC’s second CBS live MMA production and they aren’t pretty – a drop of 1.68 million viewers or 43% from the debut show.

Try as you might, you can’t put lipstick on that pig. It’s an ugly drop no matter how you try to spin it. To put it in perspective, pick up the phone and tell your boss that you are going to work 43% less effectively on the next task you perform. Email us at admin@mmataining.com if you still have a job after the call.

So why such a steep decline and what to do about it going forward?

A 43% drop can’t be chalked up to any one factor. Fortunately I was able to get a copy of the EliteXC post-production report that gave a full accounting for the 43% drop and will share it with our mmatraining.com fans.

Breakdown of Viewer Loss with editor’s comments inserted:

15% of viewers did not tune in for the second production as the first telecast was terrible.

If you are like me you were excited at the prospect of a mainstream cable TV MMA production. Then sadly it came on television and you found yourself saying over and over again to the group of MMA novices you invited over to your place to watch it “ok, guys. This really sucks. You should see real MMA live.”

10% of viewers did not return after listening to Brett Rogers post fight interview

So maybe you didn’t catch it. Perhaps you were heading to the fridge to grab a beer. It’s possible that the noise from the pool table overshadowed an irrelevant post fight interview. Sadly, if you were a first time MMA viewer and wanted to catch every minute of this card so you could catch the wave of momentum behind mainstream MMA, you listened to Brett Rogers as he explained what he did in the ring that nigth. Brett was quoted as clearly saying “I does my job”. Quickly realizing his mistake he rushed back to the microphone to explain that what he meant to say was “I do’s my job”. Whether Brett “does” or “do’s” his job is beside the point, the look I received from my group of friends (all of whom had completed at least Grade 4) was a clear indication that they had other things to do the next time I called telling them to come watch the greatest athletes on the planet.

8% were left scratching their heads after watching Kimbo Slice

I’m a Kimbo fan, but his fight wasn’t very good. If this was the best EliteXC has to offers they need to find someone else.

5% want to see Gina again. Her absence from the second card was noticed.

The remaining 5% was attributed, oddly enough, to those that tuned in to the first production hoping to see Megadeth.

It was their first live production so let’s be fair and realize it was as good as any other organization’s first live production. The second one was better, much better.

Ever been to a bar at their grand opening? Place is packed to the roof. Go there night two and there is a serious percentage decline.

MMA is no different. There is never going to be another first so you get a lot of people tuning in out of curiosity. The fringe fans drop off and the core remains strong and builds over time.

It’s a typical cycle for any new business and EliteXC will sink or swim as an organization based on basic business fundamentals – good product, good sales & marketing, customer service – and not based on the results of their second live production.